Florence (Italy) (AFP) – Every two months, Michelangelo’s statue of David, completed in 1504, undergoes a careful cleaning at its home in Florence’s Accademia Gallery, where it has resided for over 150 years. His personal restorer, Eleonora Pucci, climbs on a scaffolding for an up-close view — part of a monitoring and cleaning ritual necessary for the preservation of the Renaissance icon visited by over two million visitors last year.
Florence (Italy) (AFP) – Every two months, Michelangelo’s statue of David, completed in 1504, undergoes a careful cleaning at its home in Florence’s Accademia Gallery, where it has resided for over 150 years. His personal restorer, Eleonora Pucci, climbs on a scaffolding for an up-close view — part of a monitoring and cleaning ritual necessary for the preservation of the Renaissance icon visited by over two million visitors last year.
kharp (Russia) (AFP) – The mother of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny appeals to President Vladimir Putin for the release of her son’s body. “I demand that Alexei’s body be released immediately so that I can bury him in a humane way,” says Lyudmila Navalnaya. AFP can confirm that she is speaking against the backdrop of a church that corresponds to photos available in the media of the Russian Arctic prison colony where Navalny was jailed and died, according to the prison service.
Caracas (AFP) – Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gets off a plane at Caracas airport as he arrives in Venezuela, his second stop on a Latin American tour for a G20 summit in Brazil. Lavrov began the trip in Cuba, where he met President Miguel Diaz-Canel and lashed out at US sanctions against the island. IMAGES
Surat (India) (AFP) – Man-made gems are reshaping the $89 billion global diamond jewellery market, especially in the west Indian city of Surat where 90 percent of the world’s diamonds are cut and polished.
Singapore (AFP) – China’s first domestically produced passenger jet C919 makes its international debut at the Singapore Airshow, the largest aviation event in Asia. The single-aisle model from COMAC is a potential competitor to the market-leading A320, made by Europe’s Airbus, and the 737 MAX from US-based Boeing. IMAGES
London (AFP) – Stars walk the red carpet at the 77th British Academy Film Awards as members of the cast and crew of the award winning “The Zone of Interest” speak to AFP. Jonathan Glazer’s harrowing film about a Nazi concentration camp commander and his family living next to Auschwitz, took home three awards including best British film, best film not in the English language and best sound.
Avdiivka (Ukraine) (AFP) – Plumes of smoke rise on the frontline of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka — which Moscow claimed “full control” of on February 17 — as explosions can be heard in the distance. Ukrainian forces announced they had withdrawn from Avdiivka on February 17, facing ammunition shortages and outnumbered on the battlefield.
Unknown (AFP) – Alexei Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya accuses President Vladimir Putin of killing her husband and promises to “name names and show faces” of those she claims are responsible for his death, three days after Navalny died in an Arctic prison. Her video address comes as the Kremlin said an investigation into his death was “ongoing” and his mother Lyudmila was denied access to his body for a third day.
Ōshū (AFP) – Hundreds of naked men tussle over a bag of wooden talismans, performing a dramatic end to a thousand-year-old ritual in Japan that took place for the last time. The “Sominsai” festival, regarded as one of the strangest festivals in Japan, is impacted by the country’s ageing population crisis that has hit rural communities hard.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Thousands of Israelis protest against the government and the judicial overhaul, demanding that new elections be held. This comes as Israel has faced increasing calls, including from its closest ally the United States, to hold off sending troops into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where some 1.4 million people have fled.
Nabatieh (AFP) – Grieving mourners attend the funeral of seven civilians from the same family who were killed in an Israeli strike on Nabatiyeh, south Lebanon. The Israeli army says it carried out the strikes on 14 February after a soldier was killed by rocket fire from Lebanon. The attack, resulting in the bloodiest day for Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on 7 October, has raised fears of a broader conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.
